An emotional Novak Djokovic beat Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday to claim a 10th Australian Open title and equal Rafael Nadal's 22 Grand Slam crowns, a victory that returned him to world number one.
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The Serbian star overcame a hamstring injury and off-court drama on his return to Melbourne Park to sweep past the Greek third seed 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5) on Rod Laver Arena.
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This combination photo created on January 29, 2023 shows Serbia's Novak Djokovic posing with his 22 men's singles Grand Slam titles after his victory at (top row L to R) Australian Open 2008, Australian Open 2011, Wimbledon 2011, US Open 2011, Australian Open 2012, Australian Open 2013, Wimbledon 2014; (second row L to R) Australian Open 2015, Wimbledon 2015, US Open 2015, Australian Open 2016, French Open 2016, Wimbledon 2018, US Open 2018; (third row L to R) Australian Open 2019, Wimbledon 2019, Australian Open 2020, Australian Open 2021, French Open 2021, Wimbledon 2021, Wimbledon 2022; and (bottom C) Australian Open 2023.
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It capped a remarkable comeback by the 35-year-old fourth seed, who missed last year's tournament when he was deported over his Covid vaccination stance.
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Djokovic climbed to his player's box after the win to embrace his mother, Dijana Djokovic, and broke down in uncontrollable tears, collapsing to the ground sobbing.
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Novak was congratulated also by his managers Elena Cappellaro and Edoardo Artaldi, his brother Marko Djokovic and his coach Goran Ivanisevic after his win.
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Djokovic has played in 10 Australian Open finals - and won every one of them.
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"I have to say this has been one of the most challenging tournaments I have ever played in my life considering the circumstances, not playing last year, coming back this year," said Djokovic.
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"I try to pinch myself and really live through these moments. It's a long journey. Only the team and the family knows what we have been through in the last four or five weeks," he added.
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"I would say this is probably the biggest victory of my life, considering those circumstances," he concluded.
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Djokovic has not lost at Melbourne Park since 2018 - a streak spanning a record 28 matches in the men's singles.
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Tsitsipas lost to Djokovic in his first major final at the 2021 French Open after relinquishing a two-set lead but, this time in Melbourne, he was always chasing the match.
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Djokovic has regained the crown which he was unable to defend last year after being deported from Australia following a row over his Covid-19 vaccination status.
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Tsitsipas showed resilience to save two championship points but Djokovic took his third chance to secure a famous win.
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Djokovic became very emotional in the immediate aftermath of winning again in Melbourne. He broke into tears as the magnitude of his achievement hit him and continued sobbing under his towel when he returned to his chair.
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